Preventing summer slide: How a school and church teamed up to give students summer reading books

Sofia, a fourth grader at Aurora Charter School, gazed at two books in her hands, deciding which one to keep. After a couple of minutes of deliberation, she added "Number the Stars" to the small stack in front of her.

"My family is going to go to North Carolina or Washington," she said about her summer plan. "We're going to drive, and in case I get bored, I will read my books."

Sofia was one of the 13 fourth-grader students at the Minneapolis school who visited to the school's book drive Wednesday. The week-long drive is the first for the school since it opened its door in 2000. The school, in the Longfellow neighborhood, serves more than 440 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. More than 90 percent are on free or reduced lunch.

Raul, another fourth grader, could not leave the "spooky books" section, clutching two mystery novels in his arms.

"These are my kind of books," he said. "They cause a lot of drama and I like drama."

Meredith Folger, a reading specialist at the school, said most of the students have few books, if any, at home.

"Not all of our students have access to transportation or the public library, especially during the summer," Folger said. "We need to set them up for success and gifting books is one of those ways we can do that."

Numerous studies have documented "summer slide," when children fall out of the habit of reading over the summer. Children's lack of reading can lead to stagnation or a decline of their reading abilities.

In poor students the issue is even worse, according to the U.S. Department of Education: "If students from low-income families don't read over the summer, they are much more likely to fall behind their more privileged peers, widening the 'achievement gap.'"

About 2,000 books in Spanish and English were donated by community donors to the school, including Maple Grove Covenant Church, which provided several books by Laura Purdie Salas. The children's book author and a member of the church, Salas wrote special notes to the students in her donated books. Many of the children are Hispanic and from Spanish-speaking homes.

"It is really nice to bring the whole community together from different avenues and areas," said Mariana Soldini, the school's curriculum and instruction administrator.

Singing to incite reading

In addition to the event, the faculty came up with an idea of creating a song and dance to promote the joy of reading.

As soon as Folger brought up the first line of the jam, "iQue vas a hacer? (What are you going to do?)", the students excitingly followed her, chanting "iYo voy a leer! (I am going to read!)."

Guille Leal, a technology teacher at the school, made a video featuring the song with students and teachers and posted the clip on YouTube.

The students have been watching and practicing it every morning for an assembly on June 8, during which they will perform the song and dance to wrap up the drive week.

"You would see kids walking around singing the song," Leal said.

Despite not winning two grants, the school opened its library this year. Folger said the school hopes to eventually offer books targeted at all grade levels.

"We're trying to increase the depth of knowledge and access to resources," she added.

The U.S. Department of Education offers tips to keep children reading over summer break. Here are a few:

1. Encourage your children to read books they enjoy for at least 30 minutes per day. Your child will likely be more engrossed in the material they choose themselves than the material that is forced on them.

2. Provide incentives for reluctant readers. For example, if your child enjoys basketball, agree to take them to the local court if they do their "daily reading."

3. Make reading a social act. Establish a time during the day when all members of the family gather and read on their own, or take turns reading the same book aloud.

4. Connect your reading to family outings. If you take your kids to an aquarium, consider reading a book about fish or the ocean with them later that day. The outing can help place the reading into a broader context.